- Make a schedule of all of your activities to find the down time you might not have considered. You’ll be surprised at how much free time you may have.
- Something as simple as scanning over your music before bed and/or after waking up can increase familiarity with your music, thus making your next practice session a little easier.
- Try picking up your instrument and running through your practice material during the commercials of your favorite TV show.
- Turn your phone off! Doing so increases attention span and focus for practice.
- Recording your practice sessions enables you to go back and listen, helping you to identify the things you need work on and appreciate the things you excel at!
- Always challenge yourself! If you have accomplished your assigned homework, don’t be afraid to accelerate forward.
- Even just imagining how to play your exercises in your head can help build familiarity while away from your instrument and music.
- Remember that practice alone doesn’t make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. Be cognizant of how you practice to ensure you aren’t learning improper technique or instilling incorrect patterns.
- ALWAYS be patient with yourself. Sometimes it can frustrating learning a new piece that seems overly challenging, and in those moments, it is wise to take a step back to breathe before diving into the piece again. Music is rarely mastered quickly.
- Start slow! We all want to immediately play as quick as possible because playing fast is fun but starting slow lets us recognize more than just the notes and rhythms. It helps make the music in front of us sound, well, MUSICAL!!
Keep these few tips in mind and soon you shall notice great strides of improvement in your playing!
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